CTET 2026 is confirmed for 12 and 13 December 2026 by the CBSE public notice dated 14 September 2026, after the 6 September sitting was postponed. Admit card expected about 10 December 2026. Pattern and qualifying marks inside.
The CTET 2026 exam date is now confirmed: the 22nd edition of CTET will be conducted on 12 and 13 December 2026, a Saturday and a Sunday, per the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) public notice dated 14 September 2026. This is the rescheduled September sitting, which was set for 6 September 2026 and postponed by a CBSE notice dated 25 August 2026 after the Supreme Court's judgement in a review petition. CTET is conducted through the official portal ctet.nic.in in offline OMR (pen-and-paper) mode.
This guide gives you the current CTET 2026 status in one table, what the confirmed date means for the admit card and the exam city intimation, the notification and reopened-application schedule, how many CTET sessions there are in 2026, and the exact exam pattern with qualifying marks. CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test) is an eligibility test: qualifying earns you a lifetime certificate to apply for teacher posts in KVS, NVS and central-government schools, and it is accepted by many states.
The CTET 2026 exam will be held on 12 and 13 December 2026. CBSE fixed these dates in a public notice dated 14 September 2026, which states that the 22nd edition of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test will be conducted on 12 and 13 December 2026. Before that, the sitting scheduled for 6 September 2026 was postponed by a CBSE notice dated 25 August 2026, citing the Supreme Court's judgement in a review petition, and CBSE reopened the application window from 25 August to 1 September 2026 so that eligible teachers get a fair chance to acquire the TET qualification. A form correction window then ran under the ctet.nic.in notice dated 7 September 2026 and closed on 10 September 2026.
As of September 2026, 12 and 13 December 2026 are the only exam dates CBSE has published on ctet.nic.in for this cycle. Do not rely on any other circulating date that CBSE has not confirmed, and treat the city-intimation and admit-card timings below as expected rather than published.
| Event | Status |
|---|---|
| Notification released | 11 May 2026 |
| Original application window | 11 May to 10 June 2026 |
| Reopened application window | 25 August to 1 September 2026 |
| Original exam date | 6 September 2026 (postponed) |
| Correction window | Closed on 10 September 2026 (notice dated 7 September 2026) |
| Confirmed exam date | 12 and 13 December 2026 (CBSE notice dated 14 September 2026) |
| Exam city intimation | Expected about 27 November 2026 (15 days before) |
| Admit card | Expected about 10 December 2026 (2 days before) |
| Result | About one month after the exam |
The CTET 2026 admit card is not out yet. Per the CBSE public notice dated 14 September 2026, the admit card is issued 2 days before the exam, so for the 12 and 13 December 2026 sitting expect it around 10 December 2026. The exam city intimation slip comes 15 days before the exam, so expect that around 27 November 2026. Both are expected timings derived from the notice, not dates CBSE has published, so confirm them on ctet.nic.in.
You download the admit card on ctet.nic.in using your application number and date of birth, and it carries your exam date, shift and reporting time, centre address and exam-day instructions. Keep your login details ready from late November 2026 so you do not miss the download window. Carry a printout plus a valid photo ID to the centre.
CBSE released the CTET September 2026 notification on 11 May 2026, and the original online application window ran from 11 May to 10 June 2026, with a correction window from 15 to 18 June 2026. After the postponement, CBSE reopened the application window from 25 August to 1 September 2026 for new and existing applicants. Applications are accepted online only at ctet.nic.in. Per the ctet.nic.in notice dated 7 September 2026, the correction window for this cycle closed on 10 September 2026, so the application stage is finished and only the 12 and 13 December 2026 exam remains.
The application fee is Rs 1,000 for one paper and Rs 1,200 for both papers (General and OBC), and Rs 500 for one paper and Rs 600 for both papers (SC, ST and PwD). Fees can change between cycles, so always check the fee on ctet.nic.in before you pay.
| Category | One paper | Both papers |
|---|---|---|
| General / OBC | Rs 1,000 | Rs 1,200 |
| SC / ST / PwD | Rs 500 | Rs 600 |
There are two CTET sessions in 2026, because CBSE conducts CTET twice a year, in February and September. The February 2026 session was held on 7 to 8 February 2026, with its result declared on 30 March 2026. The September 2026 session is the second one, moved from 6 September 2026 to 12 and 13 December 2026 by the CBSE notice dated 14 September 2026. So if you did not appear in February, that rescheduled December sitting is still your second chance this year.
After the 2026 September session, the next window is the February 2027 session, expected early in 2027 on CBSE's twice-yearly cadence (dates not yet announced). Two attempts a year lowers the pressure on any single sitting, and the certificate you earn is the same and valid for life.
CTET has two independent papers: Paper I to teach classes 1 to 5, and Paper II to teach classes 6 to 8. Each paper has 150 MCQs for 150 marks in 150 minutes, with +1 per correct answer and NO negative marking. The qualifying mark is 60 percent (90 out of 150), relaxed to 55 percent (82 out of 150) for reserved categories, and the CTET certificate is valid for LIFETIME.
Each paper covers Child Development and Pedagogy, Language I, Language II, and subject sections (Mathematics and Environmental Studies in Paper I; Mathematics and Science or Social Studies in Paper II), each block carrying 30 marks. Across the CTET 2019-2024 papers we analysed, Child Development and Pedagogy is the discriminating 30-mark section: pedagogy questions decide who clears, because most aspirants handle the subject content but lose marks on child psychology and teaching-method application.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Papers | Paper I (classes 1 to 5), Paper II (classes 6 to 8) |
| Questions per paper | 150 MCQs |
| Marks per paper | 150 |
| Duration | 150 minutes |
| Marking | +1 correct, 0 wrong, 0 blank (no negative marking) |
| Qualifying | 60 percent (90/150); 55 percent (82/150) reserved |
| Certificate validity | Lifetime |
Because there is no negative marking, you should attempt every one of the 150 questions: a blank scores the same as a wrong answer (zero), so a reasoned guess only ever helps. This single rule shapes CTET strategy: maximise attempts and accuracy, never leave a question empty.
Right now, with the exam fixed for 12 and 13 December 2026, plan backwards from that date: the correction window already closed on 10 September 2026, so your form is locked and preparation is the only variable left. The postponement gives you extra study time, so use it to strengthen Child Development and Pedagogy, the 30-mark section that decides most results. Watch ctet.nic.in for the exam city intimation expected around 27 November 2026 and the admit card expected around 10 December 2026.
CTET is an eligibility test, not a direct recruitment: qualifying makes you eligible to apply for teacher recruitments (for example KVS and NVS drives) that open after the result. Prepare on a paper that behaves like the real one: our CTET mock tests on Quiz4Exam mirror the 150-question, no-negative-marking format for both Paper I and Paper II, and for a full study plan read our CTET preparation strategy guide. For eligibility and syllabus depth, see the Quiz4Exam exam blog.
When is the CTET 2026 exam date? CTET 2026 will be held on 12 and 13 December 2026, per the CBSE public notice dated 14 September 2026. The sitting originally set for 6 September 2026 was postponed, and the form correction window closed on 10 September 2026.
What is the CTET admit card date 2026? The admit card is not out yet. The notice issues it 2 days before the exam, so expect it around 10 December 2026, with the exam city intimation around 27 November 2026.
Is there negative marking in CTET? No. CTET has +1 per correct answer and no negative marking, so you should attempt all 150 questions.
What are the CTET qualifying marks? You need 60 percent (90 out of 150), relaxed to 55 percent (82 out of 150) for reserved categories.
How many times is CTET held in 2026? Twice: the February 2026 session (7 to 8 February) and the September 2026 session, moved from 6 September to 12 and 13 December 2026.
CTET 2026 will be conducted on 12 and 13 December 2026, a Saturday and a Sunday, per the CBSE public notice dated 14 September 2026 fixing the dates for the 22nd edition of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test. The sitting originally scheduled for 6 September 2026 was postponed by a CBSE notice dated 25 August 2026 after the Supreme Court's judgement in a review petition, and the form correction window closed on 10 September 2026. Check ctet.nic.in for the admit card.
The CTET 2026 admit card has not been released yet. The CBSE public notice dated 14 September 2026 says the admit card is issued 2 days before the exam and the exam city intimation 15 days before, so for the 12 and 13 December 2026 exam expect the admit card around 10 December 2026 and the city slip around 27 November 2026. Both are expected timings derived from the notice, not dates CBSE has published. You download it on ctet.nic.in using your application number and date of birth.
No, there is no negative marking in CTET. Each correct answer earns +1 mark, and a wrong or blank answer scores zero. Because a blank counts the same as a wrong answer, you should attempt all 150 questions in each paper, using a reasoned guess wherever you are unsure. This makes attempt maximisation the core CTET strategy.
To qualify CTET you need 60 percent, which is 90 out of 150 marks in a paper. Reserved categories (SC, ST, OBC and PwD) get a relaxation to 55 percent, which is 82 out of 150. Qualifying earns a CTET certificate that is valid for lifetime and is used to apply for teacher posts in KVS, NVS and central-government schools.
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CTET is held twice in 2026 because CBSE conducts it twice a year, in February and September. The February 2026 session was held on 7 to 8 February 2026 with its result on 30 March 2026, and the September 2026 session has been moved to 12 and 13 December 2026 by the CBSE public notice dated 14 September 2026. The next session after that is expected in February 2027.
